How could an otherworld god be here? Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. He never imagined that he would discover an otherworld god inside the Tower. Of course, the Crawling Chaos had used Kalatus to deliver his thoughts, and the Demonic Sea was formed out of an otherworld god’s corpse. However, there had never been a situation where an otherworld god was in a hidden stage like this!
It was strange that these beings without player status could enter the Tower. Even if they were desperate to enter the Tower to find the Black King’s legacy, their pride wouldn’t allow them to submit to anyone’s control. It was also too strange that Allforone had left this hidden stage alone, even if he didn’t interfere in hidden stages.
However, Yeon-woo put his questions aside. Boom! He instantly brandished his Magic Bayonet with Sword Thunder at the being. Otherworld gods considered mortals as little more than insects. Since he hadn’t exuviated yet, the being probably saw him as a small nuisance, and Yeon-woo could feel its irritation.
It wasn’t asking a question but instead making a statement about its annoyance and showing its intent to squash Yeon-woo just as humans killed mosquitoes that landed on their arm. That was why Yeon-woo didn’t reply and activated Sword Thunder right away. Even if he replied, the being would see it as little more than buzzing from a bug and grow even more annoyed.
Sword Thunder soared up like a black-red whip and lashed otherworld god. The being flinched back in surprise, not expecting this much strength from a mortal. Boom, boom. Since Sword Thunder was closer to light than fire, it moved so quickly that before the otherworld god could dodge the attack, it had already reached the center of its body.
Fire spread to the rest of the otherworld god’s body. Sword Thunder reached high into the sky and dropped lightning bolts back to the ground. Kroooooo! The otherworld god thrashed and screamed in pain as the stage shook. Yeon-woo could see the being was using holy power in an attempt to put the fire because the laws that made up the stage were moving. It was also healing itself at the same time. However, Sword Thunder wasn’t easy to put out because of its options. Rumble.
[Wave of Fire - Simmering Spark]
[72 Bian - Yeol, Pa]
Wave of Fire, which was the basis for Sword Thunder, possessed Simmering Spark, a flame that didn’t die until the opponent was dead. When its sparks flew, it caused explosions one after the other, making it a destructive skill against the gigantic otherworld god, especially with Seventy-Two Bian on top.
There was simply no way that the otherworld god could withstand the attack. The Seventy-Two Bian Yeon-woo used was no longer ordinary Bian. The celestial magic was a system for immortal beings who surpassed the limits of mortals, and one’s understanding and proficiency changed according to one’s level.
What was more, Yeon-woo had seen the Heavenly Demon’s movements in the Changgong Library. One of the Heavenly Demon’s faces, the Monkey King, used the Seventy-Two Bian, and it was natural that the Heavenly Demon would also reflect the Seventy-Two Bian. Each wave of his hand and each footstep all showed the purest Bian, and it was even the basis for the laws that moved the Changgong Library.
As a possessor of Draconic Eyes and Fiery Golden Eyes, Yeon-woo couldn’t help being entranced by it since it was the ultimate form of the martial arts he wished to reach. It was a peak that even many kings of the One-horned tribe hadn’t managed to conquer, although it was possible that the Martial King was close. Now that Yeon-woo had seen it, a new territory had opened up to him.
Thanks to this, Yeon-woo could upgrade the Altman System once again. He combined the Seventy-Two Bian with his Consciousness, each of his movements reflecting his Consciousness as Bian created a system that guided all his skills and powers.
Yeon-woo could tell that he’d grown a step closer to the Yin Sword. The first step to opening the Yin Sword had been to put all his thoughts and Consciousness into the sword and becoming the sword itself to project his thoughts into the outer world. As a result, Sword Thunder was now much stronger than before he entered the Changgong Library. The otherworld god couldn’t collect its bearings even after only one attack.
Yeon-woo grew more confident at the sight. ‘It’ll work.’ He had suspected that Sword Thunder would work against the kings of the Demonic Sea and the otherworld gods, and now he had proof. Of course, this otherworld god was weaker than the Crawling Chaos, as well.
What. Are. You. The being cried out, expressing its hostility towards Yeon-woo. As it moved holy power, rays of light spread around him and landed on Yeon-woo’s head. Each ray had the strength to sweep away most high rankers, but Yeon-woo stood his ground and brandished the Magic Bayonet.
[Eight Extreme Swords - Break Heaven]
[Flawless Strike]
He used the same martial art that Martial King had used when he destroyed Kuram, the city on the eleventh floor. Rumble! Sword Thunder rained down from the sky and destroyed nearly half of the otherworld god’s body.
The being clearly believed that it couldn’t defeat Yeon-woo, and it tried to leave the floor, stumbling away, bloodied.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Yeon-woo wasn’t going to let it go so easily. Clack, clatter. As he distributed magic power to the Black King’s Cast, the tightly wound chains loosened and began to move. Emptiness opened in pockets around Yeon-woo, and the chains quickly passed through them. With noisy, clanking sounds, the chains wrapped around the being.
Let. Me. Go. Krooooo! Let. Me. Go! The more it struggled from the pain, the more tightly chains wound around it. It attempted to release its physical form and escape didn’t work either. Yeon-woo’s chains were made of a metal that had managed to lock even the Black King in emptiness. It would be impossible for a lower otherworld god to escape them, especially since they also contained pieces of the Ruyi Bang and moved smoothly according to Yeon-woo’s will.
Sword Thunder continued to fall from the sky, tiring the being out. Eventually, the otherworld god stopped moving, as if it had given up resisting. You. You. Successor. To. Darkness. How. As it belatedly realizing who Yeon-woo was, the being expressed his doubt.
Yeon-woo didn’t understand the god perfectly, but he thought it was asking how he managed to get this far. Still, he had no reason to reply to the being, and in fact, he thought he should be the one questioning it, not the other way round. He pulled the chains closer.
I. Can’t. Give. Up. Like. This. It turned its head back and cried sadly.
Yeon-woo prepared Sword Thunder again, in case the being was trying to attempt to struggle for the last time, then frowned when he saw the being’s strange actions. What was it doing? The answer came quickly.
Krooo! The voices of the otherworld gods rang out as if in response to the cry. The being had called for help.
‘What? There are others?’ A group of otherworld gods living in the Tower…it was unthinkable. One otherworld god was already strange enough that he wanted to capture it alive to study it. If there were more, it was a big problem. ‘Is it related to the overflowing amount of holy power of the Crawling Chaos on this stage?’
Even if this was the graveyard of the giants taken captive by the Crawling Chaos and the Crawling Chaos’ power made the environment similar to the Demonic Sea, he didn’t understand why Allforone, the Central Bureau, and the heavenly world hadn’t done anything about the otherworld gods here.
It was certain that otherworld gods were responding to the cry since no other entities had the same holy power of disorder and chaos.
I. Can. Die. Here. But. You. Die. Together.
It seemed prepared to use its dead body as bait so the other otherworld gods would come to eat it. Even though it had given up on its life, it wanted Yeon-woo to die since he was responsible for this situation.
‘This is…’ This instance of survival of the fittest was something Yeon-woo had already grown familiar with. It was also probably a natural process in the otherworld gods’ world of disorder and chaos.
“What a bother.” He spoke with irritation as he pulled the chains towards him again. Emptiness opened in his shadow and swallowed the being whole. He was planning on holding the otherworld god the same way he’d trapped the Demonism in Vigrid. He wasn’t concerned about the amount of space in the shadow because it had been strengthened with the artifact of the Great Warrior. ‘It actually worked out well.’
Clatter. He released more chains. The otherworld gods on their way here were probably at least at the same level as the being he’d captured. Since there was almost no information about otherworld gods, he thought if he captured them, he could experiment on them and learn more. He would also be able to discover why the hidden stage was in this condition and why it had been left alone. ‘Brahm and Boo will be happy.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to capture all of them, but the more specimens he had, the better it would be. The situation had changed so much from when he’d run away from the creatures in the Demonic Sea. Clatter! The black chains twisted like snakes waiting for their prey.
The forest had turned to ashes from the Sword Thunder attacks, leaving only dreary winds behind. Yeon-woo’s golden eyes almost seemed crazed. Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Dozens of otherworld gods appeared, obscuring the sky over the forest. They didn’t express much of their Consciousness and seemed focused only on killing Yeon-woo, who was violating their territory. Their first attack was powerful since they’d already confirmed one of their own had died. Countless rays of lights and tentacles fell on Yeon-woo.
Just when Yeon-woo was about to counterattack, something large suddenly appeared through the burnt grass and grabbed his waist. “You! Are crazy!” The creature was too large—almost three meters in height—to be called human. Scars covered his entire body.
Yeon-woo was about to shake the intruder away but froze when he saw his face. In the meantime, the intruder carried Yeon-woo in his large left arm and attempted to escape. He swung a sword that was bigger than his body with his right arm.
Booboom! The ground turned over and a giant wave of magic power blew the attacks of the otherworld gods away. The otherworld gods gathered more holy power to attack again, but Yeon-woo and the intruder were already gone. They couldn’t feel the presence of the two humans at all.
Krooo! While the otherworld gods expressed rage at losing their prey from under their nose, Yeon-woo was hiding in a barrier behind a huge rock with his rescuer.
“What are you! It’s impossible to—!”
『Fight them! It’s not just one or two of them but tens of them! Are you out of your mind?!』
The intruder was about to shout at Yeon-woo then quickly changed to Open Speaking because of his inarticulate speech. The anger on his face was plain to see, but Yeon-woo couldn’t speak easily either as he looked at the person in front of him—the same person he’d been looking for.
“Valdebich. This is where you’ve been hiding?”